Above: People are often suprised to learn we have a solar array at Round Top Farm! It’s discreetly sited below a rise in back of Darrows Barn, effectively hiding it from view from elsewhere on the property. Photo by Maine Drone Imaging

Even as we accelerate our conservation of forests, farms, wetlands, and salt marshes in pursuit of climate benefits and healthy habitat, sequestering far more carbon than we emit, we also aim to “walk the talk” in how we conduct our day-to-day work.

Regarding the most effective way to address the climate crisis, author and climate activist Bill McKibben urges simply, “In a world on fire, stop burning things.” As an organization responsible for thousands of acres of land and a number of buildings, following McKibben’s guidance means changing our operations to, effectively, burn less stuff: less gas, less oil, and less propane.

To make every dollar go as far as possible, we’ve evaluated where our emissions are highest, and set out to update our practices in the most practical ways we can. Already, we have…

• Refurbished our 1890 farmhouse headquarters to maximize efficiency and to run the building entirely on electricity, with no fossil fuels in the mix
• In partnership with Kieve-Wavus Education, installed a 300+ kWh solar farm at our Round Top Farm property which fully meets, in net, all electrical needs across our facilities
• Installed a two-vehicle electrical charger at Round Top Farm, available to visitors and staff
  Replaced (when it failed) the Boiler Mate hot water heater at the Salt Bay Farm Nature Center with a heat pump hot water heater (so that the boiler no longer has to run just to heat the water)

As funding and technology permit, among other goals, we soon hope to…

• Transition to rechargeable/electric hand-held power equipment (like weed wackers and leaf blowers) which have far lower emissions and maintenance costs
• Change over – slowly but steadily – to electrical lawn equipment, as current equipment comes to the end of its reasonable lifespan
• Increase the efficiency of other buildings in our care, such as the Nature Center and the Schaller House where our interns live, and move toward running them on electricity
• Eventually switch to electric vehicles, including the pickup trucks we use for property maintenance and plowing!